MI BORN long 1923, long England long taon olketa kolem Hemsworth long Yorkshire. Mi garem wanfala brata, wea born first long mi. Nem bilong hem Bob. Taem mi naen year, dadi bilong mi kasem samfala buk wea storyim false religion hem laea long pipol. Dadi interest long wanem hem readim. Hem les long olketa bigman bilong religion wea hypocrite. Samfala year bihaen, Bob Atkinson kam long haos and pleim tok bilong Brata Rutherford long phonograph. Taem mifala herem datwan, mifala savve hem from sem grup wea wakem olketa buk wea dadi readim. Parents bilong mi savve invaetem Brata Atkinson for kaikai evri evening and ansarem olketa Bible kwestin bilong mifala. Brata Atkinson invaetem mifala for attendim meeting long haos bilong wanfala brata wea farawe lelebet. Mifala start attendim meeting evritaem, and gogo, wanfala smol kongregeson kamap long Hemsworth. Mifala savve invaetem olketa zone servant (wea distaem iumi kolem circuit overseer) for kam stap witim mifala, and tu, mifala invaetem olketa pioneer from olketa nara kongregeson for kam kaikai witim mifala. Wei wea mi associate witim olketa hem barava helpem mi.

Long datfala taem, mifala startim famili bisnis. Bat dadi sei long brata bilong mi, “Sapos iu laek pioneer, iumi no need for ranem disfala bisnis.” Bob laek for duim datwan, so hem pioneer taem hem 21 year. Tufala year bihaen, taem mi 16 year, mi tu pioneer. Long olketa weekend mi preach witim olketa narawan, bat staka taem long week, mi preach seleva nomoa. Mi iusim phonograph and testimony card wea garem shortfala message from Bible. Mi kasem wanfala Bible study wea gohed gud and datwan hem blessing from Jehovah. Gogo staka long famili bilong datfala Bible study kam insaed truth. Wan year bihaen, mi kamap spesol pioneer witim Mary Henshall. Assignment bilong mitufala hem for preach long territory long Cheshire.

Long World War II, olketa woman mas duim waka for sapotim war. Gavman savve letem olketa minister bilong religion for no joinim war, so mifala tingse from mifala spesol pioneer bae olketa duim olsem for mifala tu. Bat kot no agree, so olketa putim mi long prison for 31 day. Bihaen, taem mi 19 year, mi mas go tufala taem moa long kot wea gavman markem for deal witim diswan, bikos konsens bilong mi no letem mi for joinim war. Bat long tufala taem hia, olketa no putim  mi long prison. Taem evriting hia gohed for happen, mi savve holy spirit helpem mi and hem olsem Jehovah holem hand bilong mi. Hem mekem mi strong and no givap.—Isa. 41:10, 13.

Mi meetim Arthur Matthews long 1946. Arthur bin stap long prison for thrifala month, bikos hem les for joinim war. Taem hem kamaot from prison, hem go stap witim brata bilong hem, Dennis, wea spesol pioneer long Hemsworth. Dadi bilong tufala nao teachim tufala abaotem Jehovah taem olketa smol yet and tufala baptaes taem olketa teenager. No longtaem bihaen tufala pioneer tugeta, Dennis kasem assignment for go long Ireland. So Arthur no garem partner nao. Dadi and mami bilong mi barava tinghae long wei wea Arthur waka hard and showimaot gudfala wei. So olketa invaetem hem for stap witim olketa. Samfala taem wea mi kam bak for visitim dadi and mami, mi and Arthur savve wasim pleit bihaen mifala finis kaikai. Gogo, mitufala raraet long each other. Long 1948, Arthur go prison for thrifala month moa. Mitufala marit long January 1949, and goal bilong mitufala hem for duim full-taem service for olowe. Taem mitufala holiday mitufala savve waka for harvestim frut for kasem lelebet selen. From blessing bilong Jehovah and from mifala savve iusim gud selen, mifala fit for gohed pioneer.

Samting olsem wan year bihaen, mitufala kasem assignment for go long Northern Ireland. Firstaem, mitufala stap long taon wea olketa kolem Armagh and then mitufala go stap long Newry. Staka pipol long tufala taon hia olketa Catholic. Pipol long there garem strongfala feeling for heitim man wea garem difren lotu, so mifala mas careful and garem wei for luksavve taem mifala preach. Mifala savve meeting long haos bilong wanfala brata and sista wea 16 kilometer from ples wea mifala stap. Samting olsem eitfala pipol savve attendim meeting. Samfala taem mifala savve sleep kam long there. Mifala sleep long floor nomoa and long morning, mifala enjoyim wei for kaikai tugeta. Mi hapi tumas for savve staka Witness nao stap long olketa ples hia distaem.

Brata bilong mi and waef bilong hem Lottie, spesol pioneer tu long Northern Ireland. Long 1952, mifala evriwan attendim distrik convention long Belfast. Wanfala brata invaetem mifala for stap long haos bilong hem. Brata Pryce Hughes, branch servant bilong Britain, hem tu stap witim mifala long datfala haos. Wanfala naet, mifala storyim buk wea olketa just releasem wea garem title, God’s Way Is Love, wea olketa wakem especially for pipol long Ireland. Brata Hughes storyim hao hem no isi for preach long Catholic pipol wea stap long Irish Republic. Pipol raosem olketa brata from ples wea olketa stap and olketa priest bihaenem pipol for attakim olketa brata and sista. Brata Pryce sei: “Iumi needim olketa hasband and waef wea garem car mekem olketa savve duim disfala spesol campaign for givimaot disfala buk evriwea long kantri.” * Long taem hia nao mifala sei, “Bae mifala duim!”

 Long Dublin, mifala stap long haos bilong wanfala sista wea faithful for worshipim Jehovah for staka year, wea evriwan kolem hem Mami Rutland. Evri pioneer savve go stap long haos bilong hem. Taem mifala stap long there, mifala salem samfala samting bilong mifala mekem mifala savve peim car. Mifala fofala go long motorbike bilong Bob wea garem sidecar, for go faendem car. Gogo, mifala faendem wanfala second hand car wea still waka gud and mifala peim. Then mifala askem man wea salem datfala car for kam lusim long haos wea mifala stap, bikos no eniwan long mifala savve draev. Long datfala full evening, Arthur sidaon long bed and gohed actim hao for changem gear. Long morning hem stragol for draevem car go aot. Bat gud samting nao, wanfala missionary sista, Mildred Willett (wea bihaen hem maritim brata John Barr) hem kam pas long mifala and hem savve hao for draev. So hem lanem mifala and then mifala redi for go nao.

Then mifala need for faendem ples for stap. Olketa brata talem mifala for no stap insaed caravan bikos olketa wea againstim olketa Witness maet bonem datwan. So mifala lukaotem haos for stap, bat hem hard. Long datfala naet, mifala fofala sleep nomoa insaed car. Long next day, mifala faendem wanfala caravan wea garem tufala smol bed. Datwan nao kamap haos bilong mifala. Olketa farmer savve kaen and letem mifala for putim caravan long area bilong olketa. Mifala no preach long area wea mifala putim datfala caravan, bat mifala savve go long olketa ples wea stap samting olsem 16 go kasem 24 kilometer from datfala caravan. Bihaen mifala muvim caravan go long niu area, then mifala just kam bak and preach long pipol long datfala area.

Mifala kasem evri ples long southeast part long Irish Republic and no staka againstim mifala. Mifala givimaot winim 20,000 buk and mifala sendem nem bilong olketa wea interest go long branch office long Britain. Distaem staka handred Witness stap long datfala ples. Datwan hem nambawan blessing!

Gogo, mifala kasem assignment for stap long south London. Bihaen tu-thri week, olketa brata long Britain branch office ringim Arthur and askem hem for duim circuit waka. Olketa laekem mitufala for start long next day! Mifala training for wan week, then travel go long Scotland for duim circuit waka long there. Arthur no garem inaf taem for preparem olketa tok, bat hem evritaem willing for duim eni assignment, nomata hem hard. Example bilong hem barava encouragem mi. Mitufala barava enjoyim circuit waka. From mitufala bin waka long olketa farawe territory for staka year, mitufala enjoyim wei for waka witim olketa brata and sista.

Mitufala mas mekem important disison taem Arthur kasem invitation for go long Gilead Skul long 1962. Datfala course bae gohed for tenfala month bat olketa sei bae mi no go witim hem. Nomata olsem, mitufala disaed Arthur mas go. From mi no garem pioneer partner, branch markem mi for spesol pioneer long Hemsworth moa. Bihaen wan year, Arthur kam bak then mifala duim distrik waka long Scotland, northern England, and Northern Ireland.

Long 1964, Arthur kasem niu assignment for kamap branch servant long Irish Republic. Taem mi herem datwan, mi fraet lelebet for go long Bethel. Bat taem mi ting bak distaem, mi hapi tumas for garem privilege for waka long Bethel. Mi savve sapos man acceptim assignment nomata maet hem no laekem datwan, Jehovah savve blessim hem. Long Bethel, mi waka long office and long literature. Mi savve kuki and duim klining tu. Mifala duim distrik waka tu and mifala savve meetim olketa brata and sista evriwea long kantri. Taem mifala lukim olketa brata hia and olketa Bible study bilong mifala gohed gud long truth, diswan mekem mifala barava feel klos long olketa brata and sista long Ireland. Datwan hem nambawan blessing!

First international convention kamap long Ireland long Dublin long 1965. * Nomata pipol barava againstim olketa Witness long datfala taem, datfala convention gohed gud. Attendance hem 3,948, and 65 nao baptaes. Pipol long Dublin, wea provaedem accommodation for 3,500 brata and sista from olketa nara kantri, hapi tumas for kasem wanfala leta for sei thankiu. And pipol hia praisem olketa from olketa showimaot gudfala wei. Datwan barava bigfala change wea kamap long Ireland.

North and south part long Ireland bin divaed saed long politik and religion. Bat Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no olsem, olketa waka gud tugeta and long 1966 branch office long Dublin nao lukaftarem evriwan. Mifala hapi tumas for lukim staka wea Catholic kam long truth and olketa gohed worshipim Jehovah tugeta witim olketa brata wea Protestant bifor.

Long 2011, bigfala change kamap long laef bilong mitufala. Branch office long London nao bae lukaftarem preaching waka long Ireland. So mitufala kasem assignment for go long London Bethel. Long datfala taem mi start for wari abaotem Arthur from hem start for sik. Gogo, olketa faendaot hem garem Parkinsons disease. Mi sorre tumas, long May 20, 2015, Arthur hem dae. Mitufala bin stap tugeta for 66 year.

Insaed olketa year wea go pas, mi sorre tumas and mi feel olsem heart bilong mi hem brek. Arthur nao evritaem lukaftarem mi and mi misstim hem tumas. Bat taem iu feisim olketa samting olsem, hem savve mekem iu feel moa klos long Jehovah. And tu, mi hapi tumas for savve olketa narawan barava lovem Arthur. Mi kasem olketa leta from brata and sista from Ireland, Britain, and nomata long United States tu. Diswan barava encouragem mi. And brata bilong Arthur, Dennis and waef bilong hem Mavis, and Ruth and Judy, tufala dota bilong big brata bilong mi, olketa barava encouragem mi tu.

Scripture wea encouragem mi hem Isaiah 30:18, wea sei: “Jehovah hem patient and hem weit for helpem iufala, and hem bae showimaot mercy long iufala. Jehovah hem God wea evritaem duim stret samting. Olketa wea gohed weitim hem bae hapi.” Mi kasem comfort taem mi tingim hao Jehovah patient and weit for taem wea bae hem stretem evri problem and bae hem givim iumi olketa interesting assignment long niu world.

Taem mi ting bak long laef bilong mitufala, mi luksavve Jehovah leadim and blessim preaching waka wea gohed long Ireland! Mi tinghae long privilege for share long datfala waka long Ireland. Tru tumas, wei for duim wanem Jehovah askem hem evritaem mekem man kasem blessing.